A semiconductor light emitting device includes an electrode in ohmic contact with the surface of a semiconductor layer. The semiconductor light emitting device is caused to emit light by passing a current through this electrode. Here, in illumination apparatuses, for instance, a relatively large light emitting device is desired. In this context, there is considered a semiconductor light emitting device which additionally includes a thin wire electrode extending along the semiconductor layer surface from the pad electrode. Furthermore, in another semiconductor light emitting device under consideration, a metal electrode is provided entirely on the light emitting surface, and ultrafine opening portions on the nanometer (nm) scale are formed in the metal electrode. However, semiconductor light emitting devices are required to achieve higher brightness.